Extreme E reveals supercharged Season 3 sporting format
Each X Prix will now be a doubleheader and play host to back-to-back rounds across the weekend. This means double the opportunity for wins, podiums and crucial points across the ten race calendar over the course of the campaign, crucially without adding any additional carbon footprint, in line with the series’ goals to keep carbon footprint to a minimum.
Likened to ‘Star Wars Pod Racing meets Dakar Rally’, the series devised an innovative format unlike any other for Seasons 1 and 2, delivering some breath-taking competition. Season 3 sees the championship take things even further, with an all-new format designed to bring even more wheel-to-wheel racing out on the course.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO at Extreme E, said: “Since launching Extreme E, we have worked hard to improve the level of racing out on course to ensure it is thrilling to watch with plenty of action.
“This new sporting format goes even further to deliver that, with now double the amount of racing action on some of the toughest courses in the world, leaving zero additional impact on the planet.
“To have a ten-race championship in Extreme E is a tantalising prospect for everyone on board and we believe the increased number of races will only enhance our series. We cannot wait for our opening races of the campaign in NEOM to get our biggest season yet underway for 2023.”
Season 3 will feature the pressure of five-car races in both Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2. Qualifying Round 1 and Qualifying Round 2 will now both consist of two heats, five cars each. This means four wheel-to-wheel races will determine who comes out on top in what promises to be a nail-biting contest.
Intermediate Classification Points are awarded for Q1 and Q2, with a single Championship point awarded to the winners of each Heat – something that could prove crucial in the closing stages of the season.
This will be followed by the Grand Final, starring the top five teams from Qualifying, with the winner taking the top step of the podium. The remaining five teams will battle it out in Redemption Race, where all important Championship points are still at stake.
The excitement doesn’t stop there, with the doubleheader element, the above format will take place on both Saturday and Sunday, meaning two winners will be crowned at each race weekend.
James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E, added: “We’ve continuously improved the racing spectacle since launching Extreme E, but for Season 3 we wanted to create something spectacular and we feel this new sporting format achieves that.
“At each round, there will be double the opportunity for points and podiums - meaning a lot more to play for at each race weekend, while drivers and teams will have to navigate that racing tightrope of risk and reward to ensure they achieve the maximum result.
“Having a ten race championship should really close up those standings as the season progresses, meaning a thrilling Extreme E campaign should be in store for 2023 and we cannot wait for it to begin.”
Distances for each X Prix course and the number of laps will vary depending on the characteristics of the location, such as the terrain and the environmental conditions. What remains consistent is a driver changeover in the ‘Switch Zone’, taking place at the halfway point.
GridPlay will also be returning in Season 3, with grid positions for The Grand Final determined through the fan voting process. The teams that do not make it to The Grand Final must ‘gift’ their votes to their preferred team on The Grand Final grid. Grid position for the Redemption Race will be defined by the Intermediate Classification results, with the team that finished 6th choosing grid position first, followed by the team that finished 7th, and so on.
The Continental Traction Challenge will be returning in 2023 and will be crucial to the overall points total once again. The team that sets the fastest time, a combination of both the male and female drivers’ fastest times, through the allocated sector will win the Continental Traction Challenge and earn two championship points. This will run for each of the individual race days on Saturday and Sunday.
If any teams are tied in the Qualifying standings, their positioning will be determined by their time in the Continental Traction Challenge - the team with the quicker run through the allocated sector during Qualifying will receive the higher overall position.
An ‘ENOWA Hyperdrive’ boost will also be available to all drivers in the race. Activated when the driver presses a button on their steering wheel, they will enjoy an increase in power for a fixed amount of time – the timing for this will be a key decision.
With only weeks to go until the opening X Prix of the campaign, Extreme E Season 3 is all set to be another spectacular campaign.
